Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Ryan suddenly slumped forward, resting his head on the steering wheel, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Clara, do you really believe Sarah's just a selfish nobody, not worth any of my efforts?"

Clara stayed silent. Sure, Sarah might have her good sides, but it didn't change the fact that she was pretty self-centered.

Ryan looked worn out, managing a faint, weary smile. "Never mind, you should just get out."

Clara felt a wave of sadness hit her. She was too drained to continue the conversation, so she opened the car door and stepped out.

Ryan had mentioned someone would be waiting for her, but as she wandered a few hundred meters in the dark, she found no one. Instead, she heard footsteps trailing behind her.

Turning around, she saw Ryan. He was quietly following, keeping his distance.

The scene reminded her of that snowy day when he had gone missing, and she had gone looking for him-both too stubborn to talk.

Clara kept walking for another two hundred meters until she finally spotted some lights. She was taken aback, realizing the area wasn't deserted; the houses were just low and hidden by large trees, making them easy to miss.

Ryan caught up, his voice calm. "This is where Sarah's parents live, near the slums of the Capital. It's even more desolate than the slums."

After saying this, he took a few steps ahead, stopping with an indifferent tone. "Clara, in the car, you said I might kidnap you for Sarah. Deep down, you don't really trust me, do you?"

Clara felt awkward, suddenly realizing Ryan had changed. He wasn't naive anymore.

The gap between them was still there, maybe even wider now because he knew she didn't fully trust him.

Silence stretched between them, and Clara didn't know what to say, so she just followed him.

Ryan stopped outside a small house, dim lights flickering inside. He knocked on the door, and it was quickly answered by a skinny, middle-aged man who looked like he drank too much.

"What do you want?" he asked rudely, not very welcoming.

Ryan peered inside, noticing the floor covered with empty bottles, a clear sign of the man's character. "I'm a friend of Sarah's."

At the mention of Sarah, the man got agitated. "Sarah? Where is that little brat now?! I told her to sell herself to buy her brother a house, and she just gave ten grand and refused to come back. Ungrateful, after all I did to raise her!"

His voice was so loud that a woman emerged, her face bruised. But when it came to Sarah, she turned fromě timid to commanding. "Sarah is my daughter. If you're really her friend, tell her to contact us. We haven't heard from her, and maybe she's found someone rich and doesn't want to bring her poor parents along. What good is a daughter like that?"

Ryan's eyes showed disdain, though he didn't see the infamous brother. "Where's your son?"

Mentioning their son seemed to flip a switch in the couple; their pride was obvious. "Our son works in the city, earns thousands every month. Soon, he'll renovate our house. Far better than a daughter; daughters are just money pits. Once they're independent, they don't want to come home."

Clara stood a few steps away, watching the couple's disgraceful behavior under the porch light.

Despite society's progress, mannet

still clung to outdated beliefs. A son could be a failure, yet still revered, while a successful daughter was dismissed as someone else's gain.

Many women outwardly embraced independence, but deep down, they often secretly wished for sons, convincing themselves with tales of wanting a "perfect" family.

The woman grabbed Ryan's arm, "Take us to Sarah!"noveldrama

Ryan pushed her away and walked inside.

During his captivity, he often chatted with Sarah, believing at the time that Clara had abandoned him, leaving only Sarah.

Sarah, despite her manipulations, had moments of genuine vulnerability during their talks. She confessed she felt no attachment to her family, yet felt pressured to give them something to avoid being labeled ungrateful.

That label could crush a daughter.

Ryan had comforted her then, learning much about her situation. Sarah grew up alone in the countryside while her parents worked in the Capital, taking only their son and leaving her to fend for herself.

During holidays, there wasn't even a phone call. A lone girl in the village inevitably faced bullying. Her pet dog was killed, and she kept only a single tooth from it.

That tooth, the only thing she cherished, was in this house. Ryan's purpose tonight was to retrieve it.